1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to footings for posts and particularly to molded plastic footings for wooden posts for structures such as wooden decks and the like.
2. Discussion of the Prior State of the Art
In the past it has been conventional in connection with the building of wooden decks and the like to provide footings for support posts. These footings are generally placed in holes that extend below the frost line to insure solid support throughout the year. In the Northern parts of the contiguous portions of the United States the frost line may be as much as 42 inches below the surface or even deeper. Generally speaking, in the past, the footings have been constructed of concrete.
To conserve concrete, paper tubes known as sonatubes have been inserted in the hole and back filled with earth. Such tubes are approximately 48 inches long and have an inside diameter of about 8 inches. The hollow center core was then filled with concrete, usually from 90 lb. bags carried to the site with great effort. Several bags were required for each footing and since water and mixing are both required to complete quality footings, there were frequent opportunities for serious problems because water is sometimes hard to obtain, the workmen do not always mix the concrete thoroughly, etc. Moreover, freezing conditions require additives to be added to the concrete, providing further opportunity for human error.
A deck with four footings might require as much as a ton of concrete and the typical job site does not provide ample protection from the weather. Inadequate mixing often provides a footing which crumbles prematurely. Additionally, concrete footings are sometimes not resistant to the chemicals often present in ground water and such footings are thus subject to degradation resulting in crumbling and premature failure.
In addition, from a regulatory view point, the use of concrete footings often provides an opportunity for disregarding local zoning and/or constructional requirements. Furthermore, it was often difficult to secure concrete footings in a manner to resist up-loads created by wind lifting.